EAST 4TH STREET (known as Sheriff St. until 1905) originally ran from EUCLID AVE. to Eagle Ave. The narrow artery has been central to the local economy of Cleveland for more than 150 years.
The southern end of the street (roughly the intersection of Woodland Rd. and Broadway and Eagle Avenues) was home to CENTRAL MARKET, which stood near the intersection of Ontario, Woodland, and Broadway. The Market opened in 1867 and had as many as 200 tenants. However, the facilities and infrastructure were low quality and the business closed by 1890. The nearby Sheriff St. Market succeeded Central Market in 1891 and remained Cleveland’s largest market for more than two decades. After a fire in 1930, most of Sheriff St. Market was torn down. What remained was used as storage until 1950 when a new Central Market opened on its original site. With many Cleveland residents leaving for the suburbs, that enterprise also faced financial problems and Central Market closed in the late 1980s. Soon after, the area was redesigned as the Gateway District (see GATEWAY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORP.) to accommodate what are now Progressive Field and ROCKET MORTGAGE FIELDHOUSE. The southern terminus of East 4th St. is now Huron Ave., although the stretch from Prospect Ave. to Huron consists mostly of parking lots.
Sheriff/East 4th became an area of cultural significance around 1875 when the EUCLID AVENUE OPERA HOUSE opened at the street’s intersection with Euclid Ave. The street had several costume shops that visiting performers often frequented. One such building was the Krause Costume Co. which also housed OTTO MOSER’S restaurant, a favorite hangout for visiting actors, which remained on the street for 105 years. An underground tunnel connected the basement of Otto Moser’s with the Opera House. Numerous retail/entertainment establishments also populated the street, including the White Elephant Theater and Grebe’s Rathskeller.
Around the turn of the 20th century, scores of vaudeville-focused theaters opened close to East 4th St. However, as vaudeville faded away in the late 1920s, the street comprised mostly office buildings, restaurants and retail establishments. Following its demolition in 1922 the Euclid Avenue Opera House was replaced by an S. S. Kresge store. Next to Kresge’s was a McCrory’s five and dime, and directly across the street resided F. W. Woolworth's. Several furniture companies and provision stores also called East 4th St. home during this period.
Despite the Depression and the area’s decreasing number of theaters, East 4th St. remained a viable commercial district for decades. Small family-owned businesses—from dental practices to clothing stores came and went. In 1945 the Victory Store, an army and navy surplus outlet, sold walnut beds for $18.95. In 1950 a Farmer's Pride poultry store promoted eggs for 54 cents a dozen. In 1954, the Cotton Club (renamed the Modern Jazz Room in 1957) opened at the corner of E 4th St. and Huron Rd. Jazz greats from Count Basie and Duke Ellington to Buddy Rich and Dave Brubeck performed there.
Beginning in the 1950s, East 4th St. began to show serious signs of decline. For the next 30-odd years, beauty supply stores, wig suppliers, cheap apparel shops, and check-cashing outlets replaced many, but not all, of the more family-focused businesses. Fortune teller Madam Olga predicted the future from a former barbershop. King’s Pawnshop lent money and resold previous customer’s possessions.
East 4th’s renaissance began in the 1990s, more or less concurrent with completion of the Gateway complex which, by 1994 was drawing huge crowds to the area. Concurrent with the development, Bob Zimmer began displaying NEGRO LEAGUE BASEBALL artifacts in his family’s East 4th jewelry store in 1997. What was to be a one-time exhibit became so popular with baseball fans that in a short time the exhibition became its own museum. After the renovation of LEAGUE PARK in 2014, the exhibit moved there and became part of the Baseball Heritage Museum.
A new East 4th St. began to emerge when Nick Kostis opened Pickwick and Frolic Restaurant and Comedy Club in 2002 and chef Michael Symon relocated his flagship restaurant LOLA BISTRO from TREMONT to East 4th in 2005. Numerous new restaurants and bars followed and the street soon became a festive, pedestrians-only artery. At present East 4th St. remains one of the hottest spots in Cleveland with resident apartments, a vibrant food & drink scene, and proximate entertainment venues such as Pickwick, House of Blues, and The Corner Alley.
John Elrod
Updated by Christopher Roy 28 October 2024